Tim Ellis, KUAC - Fairbanks
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
A Week Before Election, State House Candidates Sharpen Rhetoric
Redistricting has many incumbents facing incumbents for the Alaska legislature this election. And that’s true of two House races in the Fairbanks area. House district two includes Two Rivers and House District 38 represents Nenana and Tanana.
Division of Forestry Group Handling Proposals For Wood Heat, Power Generation
The high cost of oil has driven many communities in the interior to look for fuel alternatives, including biomass. The state Division of Forestry has put together a group of specialists to handle proposals to harvest timber for heat and power generation.
‘Mildly Racy’ Calendar Pictures Addressed By Army Officials
An anonymous complaint over what were called ‘mildly racy’ photos in a calendar put out by a Delta Junction-area nonprofit prompted an obscenity complaint that reached the highest level of the U.S. Army.
Tanacross, Dot Lake Still Without Power After High Winds
Line-repair crews have restored power to most of the Tok area, and work continues in Tanacross and the Alaska Highway community of Dot Lake, which are still blacked-out due to damage inflicted by Sunday’s storm.
Interior Cleaning Up After Wind Storm
The same storm that left relatively little damage in Anchorage hit parts of the Interior hard. Golden Valley Electric Association crews have been working since early this morning repairing power lines damaged by wind felled trees.
Work Begins On Tanana River Bridge
One year after an Alaska Railroad’s contractor began clearing land on the banks of the Tanana River at Salcha, the real work is about to begin on the state’s longest bridge.
White Moose Generates Internet Buzz
A white moose that’s been hanging around Delta Junction for the past few years made another appearance last week at a local bed and breakfast. The latest sighting generated some Internet buzz, and led a local biologist to again consider whether the animal is an albino or just a colorless cow.
500 Delta Homes Still Without Power
About 500 homes in the Delta Junction area were still without power this afternoon, more than 18 hours after high winds gusting to 76 miles per hour pounded the area Tuesday night.
Proposal Would Have Fairbanks Borough Build Natural Gas Distribution Network
The Fairbanks North Star Borough would take on utility powers and build a natural gas distribution network under a proposal being pushed by a group of local leaders.
Fairbanks Entrepreneur Continues With Wind Farm Plans
A year and a half after Golden Valley Electric Association turned down his proposal to sell GVEA up to 24 megawatts of power, Fairbanks entrepreneur Mike Craft is pushing ahead on construction of a second big wind generator at his wind farm near Delta Junction. Craft says he intends to continue selling the utility 1 megawatt and use the rest of the electricity for a big greenhouse he plans to build next summer.
NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Deadly Delta-Area Helicopter Crash
The helicopter that crashed two weeks ago in a remote spot near the Pogo gold mine, killing the pilot, reportedly had touched down on a primitive helipad before it pitched up, apparently out-of-control, then hit some nearby trees and rolled down a hillside.
Six Alaskans Recognized For Homesteading Efforts
A federal commemoration of homesteading in America recognizes six Alaskans, considered the last to participate in the program. The last woman homesteader and her son gained title to land near Big Delta in 1984.
Troopers Call Off Search For Missing Delta Junction Man
Alaska State Troopers have called off the search for a Delta Junction man missing since last weekend. According to Troopers, an officer from the Delta Post found Emmanuel Martin Hosier’s car parked at a bluff overlooking the Tanana River Sunday night. The 20-year-old was last seen by family Saturday evening.
Troopers, Delta Residents Search For Missing Man
Alaska State Troopers and dozens of Delta Junction-area volunteers are searching for a 20-year-old man who hasn’t been seen since Sunday evening.
Slavic Population Influx Slowing In Delta
The refugee settlement office that serves members of Delta’s Slavic community is closing. The influx of immigrants from Russia and other Eastern European nations that’s boosted the area’s population by nearly 40 percent over the past 20 years, is slowing.
Officials Investigating Vehicle Fire In Pogo Gold Mine
A federal mine-safety official from Anchorage has been at the Pogo gold mine since this morning investigating the evacuation and shutdown of the mine in response to a vehicle fire underground early this morning.
Grocery Shoppers Feeling Effects Of ALCAN Closure
The Alaska Highway closure has interrupted more than just summer tourists. Grocery shoppers in Interior Alaska are feeling the effects.
Tok May Be First Alaska Community Fully Powered By Biomass
Tok may become the first community in Alaska to get all its electricity from wood. A utility has proposed building a power plant that would burn black spruce, a plan backers say could serve as a test case for communities struggling with high cost fossil fuel generated power.
Police, Troopers On Lookout For Two Men Who Escaped From Halfway House
Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks police are on the lookout for two men who walked away from a privately operated halfway house in Ester over the past 10 days. The state corrections official who oversees the NorthStar Community Residential Center and seven other facilities says the public has little to fear from the escapees, who are serving time for lesser offenses. But a Fairbanks police spokesman says the escapees divert officers from more serious cases.
Aircraft Support Aplenty For Alaska Wildfire Crews
The start of wildfire season has mangers assessing resources to battle blazes across the west this summer. There’s serious concern about air tanker support in the Lower 48, but the aircraft shortage is not an issue in Alaska.